Stock-car



(m M811) H W. SMITH.

STOGK UAR.

No. 421,982. Patented Feb. 25, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

HENRY W. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STOCK-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,982, dated February25, 1890.

Application filed March 1, 1889. Serial No. 301,642- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that I, HENRY W. SMITH, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Im provementin Stock-Oars, of which the followin g is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, and in which- Figure I is a side elevationshowing the body of a car provided with my improvement. Fig. II is anend view. Fig. III is a vertical transverse section taken 011 line IIIIII, Fig.

' enlarged View of one of the catches for holding the arms of the rockshafts.

My invention is an improvement in convertible stock-cars of the formshown in my application, Serial No.'295,132, presented J anuary 2, 1889;and it consists in features of novel construction, hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the body of the car, 2 the roof,and 3 the floor.

4 represents a partition forming an auxiliary or supplemental floor,which, when not in use, may be lowered onto the floor 1, assuming theposition shown by dotted line 5, Fig. III. When the partition is thusplaced, the car will be used as anyordinary car; but when it is desiredto transform the car into an upper and lower story or an upper and lowercompartment for stock the partition .1; is raised from the positionshown in dotted lines, Fig. III, to the position shown in full lines,Figs. I, II, and III. It is thus raised by means of cords or cables 6,secured thereto and passing upward and over vertical pulleys by strap25) and fitted on a threaded shaft 11, secured by means of suitableboxes 12 to the top of the car.

In addition to the cords or cables 6 other cords or cables 13 areemployed, which extend from the partition up over vertical pulleys 14.,mounted in brackets let, secured to the top of the car, thence in ahorizontal direc-' tion to. horizontal pulleys 15, mounted on bracket15, supported on strap 25, secured to the top of the car near itscenter, and thence to the block 10. It will be understood that when theshaft 11 is turned in the proper direction the block will be moved in anoutward direction upon the shaft, thus sh0rtening the cables 6 and 13and elevating the partition from the position shown in dotted lines,Fig. III, to the position shown in full lines. The outer end of theshaft is provided with a non circular end 16 to receive a crank by whichit is turned. \Vhen the partition has thus been elevated, it issupported by strips 17, hinged at 18 to the bottom of the car atsuitable intervals apart, as shown in Fig. I. In their normal position.the strips stand upright and parallel with the posts of the car, asshown in dotted lines, Fig. V, and when the partition has been raisedthese strips are thrown forward to bring their upper ends under thepartition, as shown in full lines, Figs. III and IV. The strips are thusoperated by means of shafts 19, secured to the side of the car bystaples or boxes 20, and having cranks'or bent portions 21 secured tothe strips by means of staples 22. It will thus be understood that byturning the shaft after the partition has been raised the upper ends ofthe strips will be thrown inward beneath the partition, and then bylowering the partition slightly by turning the shaft 11 in the properdirection it rests upon the upper ends of the strips, which form a firmsupport. The shafts 19 may be turned by means of arms or handles 23 ontheir ends, and these may engage catches 24: in their respectivepositions for the purpose of holding the shafts from turning or movingfrom either position to which they may be adjusted.

The cranks 21 of the shafts are illustrated plainly in Figs. V and VI,and the catches 24 are illustrated plainly in Fig. VIII.

By lowering the partition 4. onto the floor proper of the car, When theformer is not in use, it is brought down near the trucks, and there willbe a less tendency for the car to upset While in motion than there wouldif the partition were raised to the top of the car when not in use. Thepartition 4 has a sill 50 at each side, which rests on the floor 3 whenthe partition is in its lower position.

51 represents openings along the bottom of the car on a level with thefloor In cleaning the floor the stuff is discharged through theseopenings. When the floor is being cleaned, the partition may be raisedto the top of the car out of the way.

I claim as my invention 1. A stock car having a partition, means forraising andlowering the partition, and means for supporting thepartition in its raised position, consisting of hinged strips 17,pivoted to the bottom of the car-body and fitting beneath the sill ofthe partition, substantially as described.

2. A stock-car having a partition, means for raising and lowering thepartition, and means for supporting the partition in its raised position, consisting of strips 17, hinged to the bottom of the car-body andfitting beneath the sill of the partition, and the staples 22, securedto the strips, substantially as described.

3. A stock-car having a partition, means for raising and lowering thepartition, and means for supporting the partition in its raisedposition, consisting of strips hinged to the bottom of the car-body,rock-shafts provided with cranks and operating-arms, and catches forengaging the arms, substantially as described.

4. A stock-car having apartition,and means for raising and lowering thepartition, consisting of the brackets '7 and 14, vertical pulleys 7 and14, brackets 8, 9, and 15, horizontal pulleys S, 9, and 15, ways 10,straps 25 and 25, sliding block 10, cords 6 and 13, screw-threaded shaft11, and boxes 12, substantially as described.

HENRY W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, BENJN. A. KNIGHT.

